Fitchburg State Swept By Framingham State

Falcons drop opener 13-2; Suffer tough 1-0 setback in nightcap 

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Fitchburg State University baseball team opened Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) play yesterday afternoon, dropping a pair of games to the Rams of Framingham State University at the Murren Family Field on the campus of Trinity College. The Falcons fell 13-2 in game one before suffering a tough 1-0 setback in the night cap.

Framingham State 13, Fitchburg State 2 (Gm 1)

Framingham State opened the scoring in the top of the first as senior Ryan Wardwall singled to right field to bring home sophomore Jordan Pallazola, while sophomore Kyle Lippert knocked in senior Manny Powers with a base hit up the middle for the 2-0 margin. 

The Rams upped their advantage (4-0) in the top of the second when junior Matt Brockett led off the frame with a walk, moved to second on single from sophomore Aaron Williams before Pallazola blasted a two-run double to left center to score Brockett and Williams.

Framingham State upped its margin in the top of the third as junior Kyle Pileski brought home two runs with a single through the left side, while Wardwall, Powers and sophomore Kyle Dembrowski added run scoring hits as well to make the score 11-0

Fitchburg State broke its scoring silence in the bottom half of the sixth when freshman Brandon Lefebvre doubled to center field before scoring on a double to left center off the bat of junior Sean Maki. Junior Andrew Mooney followed with one out double into the left centerfield gap to plate Maki, resulting in the 13-2 game one final

The Falcons were paced by senior Nathan Littman, who went 2-for-4, while Maki hit 1-for-3 with a double, one run scored and an RBI. For Framingham State, Pileski finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI, while Powers added three hits, including a double, two RBI and a pair of runs scored.

On the hill, Mooney took the loss for the Falcons, allowing seven runs on six hits in two innings of work, while junior Al Wallach picked up his fifth win on the year for the Rans, giving up just two runs on six hits with four K's in the complete game effort

Framingham State 1, Fitchburg State 0 (Gm 2)

The second game featured a pitcher's duel as Framingham State junior Kevin Connelly pitched a complete game two-hit shutout with three strikeouts, while senior Tyler Smith was equally as impressive for Fitchburg State, allowing just one run on four hits and three K's.

Offensively for the Green and Gold, Maki hit 1-for-2, while newcomer Matthew Pingitore chipped in with one base knock. For the Rams, sophomore Joe Ambrosino went 1-for-2 with a double and one run scored, while Wardwall chipped in with a single and an RBI.

The two teams went back and forth through the first five innings of play before Framingham State broke the 0-0 stalemate in the top of the sixth as Ambrosino doubled down the left field line and came around to score the game's only run following a single to left from Wardwall for the 1-0 advantage.

Fitchburg State nearly knotted the score in the bottom half of the sixth when junior Drew Mazzeo and Maki walked before a wild pitch moved Mazzeo and Maki into scoring position, but Connelly got an inning ending strikeout to work out of the jam unscathed, resulting in the 1-0 game two final. 

Fitchburg State (6-13, 0-2 MASCAC) returns to action on Thursday as it travels to Dean College to take on the Bulldogs for a contest starting at 3:30 p.m. Framingham State (10-8, 2-0 MASCAC) will visit Dean College on Tuesday at 3:30 p.m.

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